Tag Archives: Farming

Can more reflective crops reduce global warming?

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Can planting more reflective crops lower global warming?

Can planting more reflective crops lower global warming?

DISCOVERY NEWS: Planting more reflective versions of crops could cool regional temperatures in summertime, reducing the impact of increasing global temperatures in these areas, according to ongoing research.

Increasing the reflectivity of crop plants by 20 percent could decrease temperatures in a given area by about one degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit), said Joy Singarayer of the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

“It’s quite immediate and it’s quite safe because crops get planted every year,” she said. ”The idea is not to think about changing what crops you plant but rather to look within the variety of crops you might plant.” This might mean choosing a more reflective variety of wheat, for example. More…

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Australian farmers sceptical about climate change

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I'm a believer... Andrew Stott, on his family farm in Whitton, says climate change will drive some farmers off their land and producers need to prepare for the challenge that it poses. SMH image.

I'm a believer... Andrew Stott, on his family farm in Whitton, says climate change will drive some farmers off their land and producers need to prepare for the challenge that it poses.

AUSTRALIAN farmers are sceptical about climate change and many do not believe it will affect agriculture during their lifetimes, according to a new report.

Ironically though, they are already starting to see the changes on their farms, with the intensity and duration of Australia’s last big drought linked to global warming.

The research was conducted by Australia’s CSIRO late last year using a workshopping / focus group format with farmers.

According to one newspaper’s coverage, CSIRO research team leader Steven Crimp said the need for improved climate change knowledge was paramount – “There is a lot of information about climate change and climate projections but there isn’t a lot of information on how to make changes within farm management,” he said.

The official website has a link to the report, and more importantly around 20 downloadable presentations from the workshop covering a range of aspects of this issue.

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